Cp  370.73 


Report  of  the  North  Carolina 
Gettysburg  Battleground  Com- 
mission to  the  Governor  of 
North  Carolina 


Sty?  Slthrary 


(HMntwn  nf  North  fflarnltmmra 


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REPORT 

OF  THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

GETTYSBURG  BATTLE  GROUND 

COMMISSION 

TO  THE 
GOVERNOR  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 


ffi| 


1913 


REPORT  OF  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA 
GETTYSBURG   BATTLE  GROUND  COMMISSION 


Raleigh,  N.  C.,  July  14,  1913. 

To  the  Governor. 

Sir: — The  Commissioners  appointed  by 
your  Excellency  under  Joint  Resolution  51, 
Public  Laws,  1913,  respectfully  make  the  fol- 
lowing report  of  their  actions  and  proceed- 
ings: 

In  relays  the  members  of  the  Commission, 
between  June  19  and  July  3,  1913,  visited 
Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  fields 
around  the  place  upon  which  were  fought 
the  great  battles  of  July  1,  2  and  3,  1863. 
The  Commissioners  had  no  difficulty  in  iden- 
tifying the  several  points  and  positions  on 
those  battlefields  where  North  Carolina  sol- 
diers marched  and  fought,  and  they  are  satis- 
fied after  a  careful  examination  and  inspec- 
tion of  the  grounds,  of  official  reports  of 
those  battles  made  by  officers,  Union  and 
Confederate,  and  after  the  examination  of 
witnesses  who  were  participants,  that  North 
Carolina's  claims  that  her  troops  bore  the 
brunt  of  the  first  day's  battle  and  .suffered 
greater  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  in  the 
three  days'  battles  than  did  the  troops  of 
any  other  State;  that  on  the  late  evening  of 
July  2d,  they  pierced  and  broke  the  Federal 
infantry  lines  on  East  Cemetery  Hill  and 
captured  several  pieces  of  artillery;  and  that 


they  advanced  as  far,  or  farther,  than  any 
other  troops  engaged  in  Longstreet's  Assault 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day's  battle, 
are  all  well  founded. 

To  mark  by  substantial  tablets  the  sev- 
eral positions  of  the  North  Carolina  troops 
which  the  Commissioners  wish  to  empha- 
size, was  denied  them  by  the  Gettysburg  Na- 
tional Park  Commission  under  their  regula- 
tions concerning  the  location  of  tablets  and 
monuments  proposed  to  be  erected  on  the 
battlefield  and  the  inscriptions  on  such  tab- 
lets and  monuments.  This  decision  of  the 
Gettysburg  National  Park  Commission  was 
not  made  on  the  ground  that  North  Caro- 
lina's claims  are  not  accurate  and  true.  That 
question  was  not  considered. 

The  Commissioners  had  gone  to  Gettys- 
burg with  tablets  of  a  temporary  character" 
already  prepared  for  the  purposes  above 
mentioned  to  be  substituted  afterwards  by 
more  permanent  ones  of  stone  or  bronze. 
They  carried  with  them  also  other  material 
and  things  necessary  for  the  carrying  out  of 
the   above   mentioned    resolution. 

There  is  appended  the  pamphlet  contain- 
ing the  regulations  under  which  the  Na- 
tional Commissioners  acted  in  their  refusal 
to  allow  the  North  Carolina  Commissioners 
to  erect  the  proposed  tablets,  and  your  Ex- 
cellency's attention  is  specially  directed  to 
sections  15,   16,   17   and    18. 

The  Commissioners,  feeling  that  justice  to 
the  North  Carolina  troops  and  a  proper  re- 
gard for  the  truth  of  history  entitle  them  to 


5>x^3^« 


erect  these  markers,  propose  to  make  fur- 
ther efforts  to  have  them  placed  in  proper 
positions  on  the  battlefield.  With  this  end  in 
view  they  contemplate  taking  up  the  matter 
with  the  Federal  authorities  and  will  pre- 
pare, to  support  this  request  for  memorials, 
on  the  ground,  a  full  statement,  accompa- 
nied by  maps,  official  reports,  affidavits  and 
other  evidence  of  the  part  taken  by  North 
Carolina  troops  in  the  battles  around  Get- 
tysburg. 

The  State's  Commissioners  invited  Hon. 
Walter  Clark,  who  has  done  more  to  put  into 
permanent  form  historical  accounts  of  the 
numbers  and  deeds  of  our  soldiers  than  any 
other  citizen  of  the  State,  to  join  them  at 
Gettysburg  for  purposes  of  consultation. 
They  also  employed  Mr.  C.  B.  Park  as  arti- 
ficer and  practical  helper  on  the  ground. 

Several  members  of  the  Commission  at- 
tended the  Commemoration  of  the  Fiftieth 
Anniversary   of  the  battles. 

Respectfuly  submitted, 

W.  A.  Montgomery, 

Chairman. 

R.  D.  W.  Connor, 

Secretary. 


EDWARDS    a   BROUGHTON    PRINTING    CO.,    RALEIGH     N.   C. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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